day 1 :
day 2 :
day 3 :
day 4 : day 5 final result
thin group and tiny group
The thin group started to look for a proper location, and found that this morning. A weird bizar alley, which breaths the atmosphere of Jack the Ripper. Brrr. They started experimenting today using the bricks for making the type. The whole street could be 'filled' with bricks. You can read a typographic saying, if you stand on the beginning of this alley. Brake the perspective dimensions in your brains!

After three days of workshopping, the tiny group managed to make something which already looks a lot like a font (!>?). After doing lots of different sketching (and reduce them to small sizes), a basic ground layer was found. This layer defines the spacing, how thick a stem should be, and how the contrast should be. Today all the characters have been made, based on the yesterday's conclusion. After putting all the characters into Fontographer it looks really real. Really! But, lots and lots of things still have to be modified, really.

picture 12 of 12

4 comments so far:
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, please do commentLilli -- Wednesday, May 21 2003, 09:57 pm
That test-text is quite interesting:)
And I like the font, too.
It's clear, but not too hard. It's round, but not too.. comic sans...

chester -- Wednesday, May 21 2003, 10:21 pm Very very nice work, workshoppers! (It seems that "working" with the Underwarers is much more fun than "work", so maybe this is a "playshop" instead...)
In the tall type section, it seems that you have discovered both the tools - bricks - but the situation - on the ground - for a good experiment. I've never been to Finland, so I don't know whether words are written on the pavement for drivers, as they are in some other places. In order to make type legible from a long distance at a low angle, the horizontal strokes are widened, and the letterforms get very tall. This is what you are doing; using the right context to create your super tall type, in a situation where super tall type is important and reasonable.
In the small type section, you guys are making a beautiful font. The troublesome glyphs seem to be treated very well: there is a tendency in microtype for "o" and "schoolbook a" to resemble each other. One word of warning that I would give is the same one that Gerard Unger once gave me: Be very careful that your "rn" does not look like an "m".
For some microtype inspiration, I can think of no better font than Retina, by Tobias Frere-Jones. You can see his superb work here: http://www.typography.com/press/pr_04_09_02.html .
When it comes to this kind of font - microfotns have the same challenges of pixel fonts - the importance of individuality of forms takes precedence over cohesiveness, although cohesiveness is also really important.
I look forward to tomorrow's work.
Best regards,
chester
Thirstype.com

ietje -- Thursday, May 22 2003, 01:20 pm Ja ja ik kijk nou.
my hart starts beating with the brick type.
you can make a 3D letter-building.
it would be nice also to use more different materials like ice to do make a type.
Looks like it finaly started beating in Tampere, nice.